Author Bio:

Tracy Shawn lives and writes on the Central Coast of California. Her debut novel, The Grace of Crows, won several indie book awards. Floating Underwater is her second novel. Tracy Shawn’s short stories have appeared in Literary Brushstrokes, Psychology Tomorrow Magazine, and Steel House Review Literary Journal. She’s written numerous articles for print and online publications and is currently working on her third novel.

Contact/Booking Details:

Contact Tracy Shawn for media/book club requests through her website contact page: https://www.tracyshawn.com/contact-t-shawn/

Social Media:

Twitter: @TracyShawn

Pinterest: Tracy Shawn, Author

Author Photo:

 

 

Most Current Novel by Tracy Shawn:

 

Synopsis:

Part psychological fiction and part mystical fiction with a dash of magical realism, Floating Underwater follows a woman’s astonishing journey through the extraordinary and, ultimately, to her own self-actualization and power.

Fearful that her lifelong premonitions not only predict the future but can also change its very course, Paloma Leary is devastated when her latest vision foretelling a third miscarriage comes true.

Falling into a mystifying world of increasingly bizarre phenomena, including a psychic connection with her mysterious neighbor, out-of-body experiences, and visits from her long-dead mother, Paloma grows desperate for answers. She is also desperate to start a family. But when a life-changing vision reveals a tragic secret from the past, Paloma learns to accept her gifts and embraces a far different future than she ever could have imagined.

Floating Underwater by Tracy Shawn

312 pages, Women’s Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystical Fiction

Publication Date: September 10, 2021

ISBN for paperback: 978-1-7366649-0-2

ISBN for eBook: 978-1-7366649-1-9

Price: $10.99 for print edition/$3.99 for Ebook

Available online, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble

A Note from the Author:

Floating Underwater was inspired by my own personal history, past work experience, and sheer imagination. Having suffered through two miscarriages myself, I wanted to write about how a character deals with that particular loss. Motivated from my past work as an intern at a psychiatric center, I also wanted to explore what it’s like for a daughter when her beloved mother has severe schizophrenia. I added in the narrative element of magical realism and otherworldly events because I believe loss and grief can make our day-to-day reality too difficult to bear without the hope that something magical is just beyond this realm. I created these extraordinary experiences for my protagonist, readers, and for myself to help us all feel as if everything in this crazy, upside-down world (and beyond!) will somehow, someday be okay.

Praise for Floating Underwater:

From Marlene Adelstein, author of USA Today bestseller Sophie Last Seen:

“One woman’s mystical journey to move forward while confronting a troubled, mysterious past.

Beautifully written; an ethereal, eloquent pleasure.” Marlene Adelstein, author of USA Today bestseller Sophie Last Seen

 

Starred Review by BlueInk Review:

“Mystical and magical realism permeate this women’s novel, and Amy Harmon fans would embrace Shawn’s adept storytelling. The author delivers spot-on dialogue, believable and enchanting characters, and surprising twists. It’s easy to imagine the novel as a talked-about book club selection (in fact, there’s a list of questions at the book’s conclusion). Poignant and beautiful, Floating Underwater leaves readers yearning for a sequel and another look at these captivating characters.” ~~Starred Review by Patricia Moosbrugger for BlueInk Review

Link: https://www.blueinkreview.com/book-reviews/floating-underwater/

 

Star Rating 5/5 Review by San Francisco Book Review:

“The writing is stunning…Paloma’s journey toward friendship, love in her marriage, and the realization that her fears have kept her eyes closed to everything happening around her is a journey worth following. This book will remind you to listen to the wind when it speaks and to look for what’s floating beneath the surface of the water.”

~~Reviewed by Jenna Swartz for San Francisco Book Review

Link: https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/floating-underwater/

 

Star rating 4.5/5 Manhattan Book Review:

“A mystical journey that will take its readers on a whirlwind tour of beautiful imagery and meaningful life adventures, Floating Underwater is the story about a woman named Paloma Leary who learns that she has some very special gifts to share with the world…This book is wonderfully written in a lovely beach setting…Floating Underwater is the perfect book for someone looking for a bit of fantasy thrown into a realistic setting with realistic characters. Written with special attention to little details, this book is relatable, yet very special and is a one-of-a-kind read.”

~~Reviewed by Kristi Elizabeth for Manhattan Book Review

Link: https://manhattanbookreview.com/product/floating-underwater/

 

The US Review of Books:

“This multi-genre read celebrates the many and varied second chances life offers to those open to see them.”

~~Reviewed by Mari Carlson for The US Review of Books

Link: https://www.theusreview.com/reviews-1/Floating-Underwater-by-Tracy-Shawn.html#.YVOLomZKgbk

 

BookLife Review:

“This dreamy work of magic realism abounds in rich themes and characters as it faces pregnancy loss…Great for fans of Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties, Glendy Vanderah’s Where the Forest Meets the Stars.” –BookLife Review

Link: https://booklife.com/projectid/29b4f100-1fd2-11ec-adbd-547275647911

Star Rating 5/5 for Reader’s Favorite:

I’m certain that readers who enjoy drama and sublime narration will not want to miss out on this book. I’ve never read anything like it, and it honestly blew me away. Mona Hawke with Reader’s Favorites

~~Reviewed by Mona Hawke for Reader’s Favorite

Awards for Floating Underwater:

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Floating Underwater won Silver Medal for General Fiction with the 2023 Living Now Book Awards in General Fiction

 

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Floating Underwater placed as Finalist for The Wishing Shelf Book Awards in Books for Adults (Fiction Category)

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Floating Underwater placed as Finalist for Next Generation Indie Book Awards for General Fiction (70,000 to 100,000 Words) 

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Floating Underwater has been awarded with the B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Short Excerpt from Floating Underwater:

She had missed their silly bantering. They hadn’t been this playful with each other since the last pregnancy, but his jokes and her bursts of laughter had dissipated over time. She wagered, though, that most couples eventually lose sight of what first brought them together.

Reed patted her hand. “It is going to work out this time, Paloma…”

Paloma smiled, then took a bite of her sandwich. Maybe Reed was right; everything would be okay—the future did not have to be defined by the past.

And then, out of the corner of her eye, Paloma saw her. Bone-thin Serena raced across the street and planted herself next to the bumper of a parked car. In her ragged skirt and barely there T-shirt, Serena could be mistaken for one of Sunflower Beach’s many homeless people, who tucked themselves into alleys, behind bushes dotting the hillsides, and around trash-strewn paths by the railroad tracks. Yet the bedraggled Serena lived with her family, who tried their best to care for her in their own, private way. Serena stared at Paloma with her mismatched eyes, one blue and the other an unnatural shade of milky green. Slowly, Serena shook her head as her gaze misted over with what looked to be pity. Even though she had followed Paloma around ever since she’d moved into town, when she was in sixth grade and Paloma in fifth, Paloma’s heart raced now, and the nausea returned.

Reed leaned away and averted his face from Serena’s scrutiny. “She’s been showing up even more, you know.”

“I know,” Paloma whispered. “I think she’s trying to tell me something.” Paloma shoved her plate away. Eating would be impossible now.

“She’s not trying to tell you anything.” Reed sighed. “She’s just more unhinged than usual.”

Paloma dared to look again. Serena pinned her down with those unnerving eyes, and then her mouth suddenly twisted into a grimace. Not knowing what else to do, Paloma waved. Serena turned abruptly. Passersby shook their heads and stared as she skipped barefoot down the street. Paloma watched the last coiled ends of Serena’s long, tangled hair as it floated out of view.

Also by Tracy Shawn:

Debut Novel The Grace of Crows, Second Edition 

The Grace of Crows has won the 2013 Jack Eadon Award for the Best Book in Contemporary Drama, Second Place for General Fiction for the 2013 Readers Choice Awards, and Runner-Up for 2013 General Fiction with the Great Northwest Book Festival.

Dubbed a “stunning debut novel” by top 50 Hall of Fame reviewer, Grady Harp, The Grace of Crows has also been hailed as an accurate portrayal of generalized anxiety disorder and a healing opportunity to the reader by Anne Diamond, MS, LMFT. Reviewer Kerry Methner, PhD with CASA magazine says: “It is written with a sophisticated understanding of psychological dynamics and personalities–and an understanding of a California lifestyle.”

One Sentence Synopsis of The Grace of Crows

A woman tormented by irrational fear reconnects with a childhood friend who is now homeless.

Paragraph Summary of The Grace of Crows

Set in the fictional California communities of Breakers Point and Dune Beach, Saylor fights her debilitating anxiety while trying to contend with her mother’s blind narcissism, growing concerns for her teenage children, and her husband’s need to pretend that everything is okay. After she reconnects with her childhood friend, Billy, homeless and alone since his teens, Saylor is able set out on a journey in which she gains insight into her strange fears, gathers the strength to overcome them, and summons the courage to find help for her family.

Paragraph on What Inspired Me to Write this Book:

 

At the height of my own long-term battle with anxiety, I couldn’t stop thinking about a long-lost friend from childhood. Then one day I found myself crying, thinking back about how vulnerable this boy had been beneath his surfer-tough bravado. I called a friend who still lived in our hometown; she told me that she had just seen him the previous week and to her astonishment that “quiet surfer boy had turned into a deranged homeless man.” She never saw nor heard about him again—and neither did anyone else I knew. But he stayed with me. For so long, the anxiety had caused me to feel like an outsider to my own life and happiness—and now I knew that my old friend was not only an outsider to his own sanity, but also to the whole of society. So when I set out to write this novel, there was no question that I had to include a fictitious characterization of him in Saylor’s journey. For what are stories if they do not make real life more meaningful?